Girl with a Sniper Rifle

An Eastern Front Memoir

By: Yulia Zhukova, Martin Pegler - foreword, David Foreman - translator, John Walter - contributor

Narrated by: Christa Lewis

Luliia was a dedicated member of the Komsomol (the Soviet communist youth organization) and her parents worked for the NKVD. She started at the sniper school and eventually became a valued member of her battalion during operations against Prussia.

She persevered through eight months of training before leaving for the Front on 24th November 1944 just days after qualifying. Joining the third Belorussian Front her battalion endured rounds of German mortar as well as loudspeaker announcements beckoning them to come over to the German side.

Luliia recounts how they would be in the field for days, regularly facing the enemy in terrifying one-on-one encounters. She sets down the euphoria of her first hit and starting her "battle count" but her reflection on how it was also the ending of a life.

Like her famous counterpart Pavlichenko she gained recognition but struggled to come to terms with war service. Haunted by flashbacks she burned the letters she sent home from the Front. She later discovered that of the 1885 graduates of her sniper school only 250 had died in war.

©2006, 2019 Yulia Zhukova; Translation by David Foreman copyright 2019 by Greenhill Books; Additional text by John Walter copyright 2019 by Greenhill Books (P)2019 Tantor

Heroism cannot be honored enough.

This is a story of an incredibly brave woman who made great sacrifices for her country. I admire her greatly. The book was well written and performed. I am glad I purchased it.

Outstanding!!

I’ve long considered the Red Army of WWII as one of the greatest armies in history. Unfortunately, ridiculous world politics has kept populations isolated from each other, subjected to propaganda and miss information. As we begin to learn more from individuals like Sgt. Yuliya, we are reminded that the greatest generation was a worldwide phenomenon. This memoir is a unique day to day life account, what home life was like, war time conditions in Russia, school, military training, what they ate, the songs they sang, how they relaxed, and especially the depth of the camaraderie between the soldiers, the intense patriotism they felt, and the willingness to give their lives for both. If that isn’t enough, the marvelous Christa Lewis reads the book for us.

Its…ok… but…

The story is ok. Only about 1/3 of the book is about her experiences during the war and most of what she talks about is really vague. She glosses over a lot of both her direct experiences and that of the greater sociopolitical events going on around her. She contradicts herself on several occasions and the writing is *really* rough. But, it’s free, so there’s that. The reader does an excellent job.

Amazing Story

One never tires of personal war memoirs. up from a teenage Russian girl turned sniper it’s truly surreal. What she experience on the front is truly hard to imagine. Her belief in her cause, and Russia, never wavers with time. Christa Lewis is the perfect voice for the story.

Wonderful Story

About half of Russian soldiers in WWW II were women, including at the front-lines. Not just as nurses and medics, but as snipers or infantrymen,

It is fascinating to hear their stories. This one is about a woman who became a sniper. When surrounded, the female soldiers fought on as guerillas, suffering with the others. They often suffered appallingly when captured.

Ms. Zhukova loved Stalin and died a patriot of the USSR. Hard to believe anybody liked Joe Steel.